Contact Centre Equipment and Systems

Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX)

An in-house telephone switching system that connects internal phone extensions to each other, as well as to the outside telephone network.

Queue

An electronic holding area where calls are placed until an agent becomes free to answer them.

Outbound calls

Any outgoing call from the call centre/customer contact centre to a customer.

Transfer

Handing over a call within the same organisation when the agent cannot answer the customer's enquiry directly, but knows that another agent, area or department would be able to help.

Available.

This means being logged into the automatic call distribution (ACD) system and being ready and waiting for an inbound call. It is also known as being idle or ready.

Amplifier.

This piece of equipment magnifies the sound to the headset and usually has a volume control, headset switch and a mute function.

CSR availability

This refers to the number of CSRs logged into the ACD system. It also can mean that you are available to take customer calls

CSR not ready time

This status is the term commonly referred to when you are completing post-call processing. When you are in this mode you are letting the ACD know that you are not able to take a customer call. The mode can be used to record and complete administration that relates to the customer call. (This might include: Notes in the customer file, actions that relate to the customer call including writing letters, facsimiles or emails; contacting other departments and organisations on behalf of the customer.

Talk Time

Time, measured in seconds, that you as an agent speaks to a customer. This lasts from when you first answer the call to when the customer hangs up.

Dead air

Dead air in a contact centre is a significant lull in a conversation during which there is no sound.

Abandoned call.

A call where a customer has hung up before you have been able to speak to them. It is also known as a lost call.

Call guide or call flow

A document that records the steps an agent should take when making an inbound or outbound call, or processing a customer transaction.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

A greeting system that lines up inbound customer calls in the best call queues ready to be answered by agents. It allows customers to interact with a computer (the ACD) through their telephone keypad. A common example of this application is telephone banking.

Adherence to schedule.

A measure of how much time you are logged in and completing customer transactions or available to do so. It is made up of time spent working with your customers, as well as time spent in after-call work, making outbound calls and waiting for calls to arrive. Time taken for lunch, breaks, training, and meetings is not counted in this measurement.

Schedule

A plan which shows when each agent starts and finishes work, and when breaks are taken during the day. The goal is to have the right number of agents on the queue at the right time, based on the forecasted number of calls.

Forecast

A prediction of the number of calls and the average work time per agent over fifteen or thirty minute intervals. A schedule is prepared based on this

Automatic call distribution (ACD) system.

A queuing system used in contact centres with high volumes of incoming telephone traffic. This system automatically offers the next inbound call to the next available agent. The system can give priority to certain callers or send certain types of calls to specific agents.

Voice mail

A service that works like an answering machine and allows customers to leave a message. This message can be reviewed, copied, stored, and forwarded to one or many people.

Acronym.

A word formed from the initial letters or syllables taken from a group of words. An example is CSR for a Customer Service Representative.

Unavailable status

An agent with this status will be logged in to the automatic call distribution (ACD) system, but has blocked any incoming calls. The agent may be on a paid break or in a coaching or training session

Management Information System

Associated with ACD systems - can provide information about calls, agents and agent groups. This information is used for putting together reports to assist in the contact centre's success. Also has current information, e.g., the number of calls in the queue, which agents are in post-call processing or the total number of calls answered in that day.

Inbound customer call

Calls that are made by the customers into the contact centre

Internet

Connects billions of pages of information together so they can be found and read by anyone who is logged on. You can access the network in two ways: Email which allows you to send messages to other users and web browsing which allows you to access information stored on computers connected.

Short calls

Customer calls with less than five or ten seconds of talk time

Average Handling Time (AHT).

In the contact centre industry this is the average time spent by an agent on a customer call. This includes the follow-up work relating to the call. It is worked out by adding the talk time and work time for each customer call, and then dividing the result by the number of calls taken.

Direct Dial Inwards (DDI)

It would be common for your manager to have one of these so they can be called directly without going through a main number and asking for them by name or extension.

Jargon

Jargon is special language used by trades, professions or specific industry groups

Intranet

Meant for internal use only within an organisation. This means that people outside of the company generally do not have access to the system unless they are granted access. Primarily used to keep people within the organisation up to date with specific information, training material, phone directories, etc.

Occupancy

Occupancy is the percentage of time that agents who are available to take calls are occupied in talk time and post-call processing time.

Overflow

Overflow is the transfer of calls from one agent group to another so they can be better handled.

Average Talk Time (ATT).

The average length of time that you speak with a customer - from when you answer, to when the customer hangs up

Average Speed of Answer (ASA).

The average time a customer has to wait in the queue before their call is answered.

Calling Line Identity (CLI)

The customer's telephone number as it is displayed when the call is received. This helps the agent identify the caller

Queue time

The number of seconds a customer call waits in the queue before their call is answered.

Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)

The technology that links the computer, telephone and other services such as voice messaging and facsimile. It improves the handling of the customer relationship. For example, customer details can be on screen while an agent answers the call.

Grade of Service

This is a target set for call answering times, such as 80% of calls answered in 20 seconds. It is the same as service level.

CSR call volume

This is the number of calls handled by an agent each day

Contact centre volume

This is the number of calls per day that the contact centre receives.

CSR wait time

This is the time between customer calls. It is calculated as an end-of-day total or average

Work Time

This is the time you use to complete paperwork or other tasks linked to the customer call. It is also known as wrap-up time or post-call processing time.

Callback

When an agent or the ACD arranges to call the customer back if additional information is needed, or the customer or agent was not available in the first instance.